Cedar chest



Aug. 24, 1943. E. CQC QCKER, 2,327,871

. CEDAR CHEST Filed July 5, 1940 focal points for the gummy deposits.

Patented Aug. 24, 1943 I 2,327,371 ccmm crmsr Ernest C. Crocker, Belmont, Masa, assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Lane Company, Inc., a corporation of Virginia Application July 3, 1940, Serial a... 343,903

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in cedar chests and other like receptacles provided on their interior surfaces, at least, with cedar-oilbearing wood, and enclosing a storage space containing an atmosphere laden with cedar aroma.

In particular, the invention relates to an improved coating for these interior cedar aroma emanating surfaces.

In the better makes of cedar chests, the at mosphere of the storage space is so heavily laden with cedar aroma that the formation of gummy deposits on the interior surfaces presents a serious problem. These gummy deposits apparently result from the condensation of cedar-aroma upon certain areas and are, of course. particularly objectionable where they may come in contact withclothing, furs, or other garments or articles stored in the receptacles. Common focal points or areas for the formation of these deposits are metals such as iron, brass, and bronze which have been used for the interior hardware. But I have found that the difiiculties from this source can be overcome in various ways,'as by using non-catalytic metals for hardware, as set forth in my U. S. Patent. No. 2,023,465.

Other focal points for the deposits, however, are present in the cedar wood itself-particularly in the knots and any other more than usually resinous areas. In addition, extraneous oils, resins, lacquers, and other substances with which the cedar wood may come in contact during fabrication of the receptacles frequently form For example, unless the greatest care is taken during the finishing of the exterior of the receptacles, tiny particles of the finishing materials may enter the interior space and become attached here and there upon the inner walls, for gummy areas.

The tendency to form gummy deposits is particularly strong during the early life of the receptacles, when the surface flush" of aroma is being emitted into the storage space. Hence it is desirable to control and regulate this early emanation of aroma and thereby not only to decrease the tendency toward formation of gummy deposits but also correspondingly to increase the useful life of the receptacles. I

In my U. S. Patent No. 1,999,960, I have described the coating of the interior surfaces of- The present invention has similar objects and is therefore in some respects an improvement over my patent Just referred to. The preferred coating compositions disclosed in that patent are lacquers consistingessentially of shellac or pyroxylin, which are neutral to cedar oil and aroma, dissolved or dispersed to proper consistency or concentration in suitable organic solvents. Although these compositions are well fitted for their purpose,

. their use involves certain operating expenses thus forming nuclei which it is desirable to avoid-specifically, the cost of the solvents, which volatilize and are lost after the lacquer is applied to the surfaces. These solventsare also flammable and hence suitable precautions must be taken in their use. Furthermore, these organic solvents are solvents for the cedar resins, hence at knots and other areas where anexcessive amount. of resin is present there is a tendency for the resin to be brought through the coating and act as a focus for gummy deposits.

The present invention avoids these drawbacks by the use of a coating, neutral to cedar oil and aroma, which is applicable in an aqueous vehicle. Since water is the volatile vehicle the cost of organic solvents and their inflammability hazards are eliminated and as water is not a solvent for the cedar resins there is no tendency for these resins to be brought through the coating.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany-,- ing drawing in which the single figure is a perspective view of a cedar chest with the cover open showing the interior surfaces of the chest and the coating thereon.

The coating, after application and drying and setting must be firmly adherent, non-tacky, and insoluble in water. It must be neutral to cedar oil and aroma-i. e., not conducive to the formation of gummy deposits from such oil and aroma. It must also be sufficiently non-continuous or porous or permeable to allow the cedar aroma to pass through and thus to permit emanation of the aroma. In addition to being water-insoluble, I the coating should also act as a. barrier to the passage of the color ingredients of the cedar wood to articles storedin the receptacle, since moisture causes such passage of color under ordinary conditions if no coating is present. It is also desirable to employ a coating which provides an attractive appearance to the surfaces to which it is applied, and which also may be tinted or colored, if desired, to enhance certain characteristics of the surfaces.

A coating answering all of the foregoing requirements can be made by reacting urea and formaldehyde or their equivalents in suitable proable.

portions, and adding such accelerators and other substances as may be desirable, to form a lacquer of brushable or sprayable consistency, and then applying this lacquer to the cedar wood surfaces in appropriate quantities and allowing it to set by polymerization and dry'to a hard, non-tacky, water-insoluble form.

This lacquer may be prepared in accordance with the following example:

One hundred parts by weight of commercial formalin (40%), 0.5 part by weight of glacial acetic acid, and 36 parts by weight of urea are mixed and placed in a .vessel provided with a reflux condenser. The pH value of the mixture is adjusted to about 4.5 by addition of acetic acid or caustic soda if it is not already at that point. The mixture is heated and refluxed, with stirring, for 20 minutes, and then is cooled to about room temperature, whereupon 1 N caustic soda is added to bring the pH value to 6.1-6.2 (about 7 parts by weight ordinarily are required). The resulting condensation product is in the form of a syrup having a total solids content of about 50% and a specific gravity of about 1.16.

The coating solution or lacquer is then prepared by mixing aboutequal parts by volume of the resin syrup and water, together with catalyst or accelerator (to promote polymerization). The catalyst used in this example is a 20% solution of ammonium chloride in water in an amount by volume equal to 10% of that of the resin syrup. A small amount of red dye, e. g., about 03% of a dye known as Rose Pink #201 is advantageously added, to improve the color appearance of the finished surfaces. It is also advantageous to add a small quantity of a wetting agent, to secure more level and uniform coating of the wood, especially over oily knots. Various wetting agents may be used for this purpose, such as the Gardinols, and others commonly avail- In the present example, the wetting agent results in a final polymerized resin coating which is so thick as to be practically continuous and thus to act as a substantially impermeable barrier preventing sufllcient emanation of the cedar condensation product generally falls within the range mm .01 to .10 ounce per square foot of surface, preferably about .03 ounce.

Other compatible materials may be dissolved in or emulsified with the resin solution, if desired, for special effects or characteristics. Thickening agents, such as methyl cellulose, may be added, for example, to assist in controlling the degree to which the lacquer strikes into the wood. Care i should be taken, however, to avoid the use of any known in the trade, as Nacconol LAL is added,

in an amount equal to about 0.1% of the. total weight of the solution as prepared above. I have found it desirable to dissolve the wetting agent in the water used for diluting the syrup.

Various modifications may be made in the foregoing procedure, as will now be explained. Catalysts of the polymerization of urea and formaldehyde other than ammonium chloride are suitable for the purpose, as is well known in the ureaformaldehyde resin art. In place of formalin, paraformaldehyde or other aldehydes or aldehyde yielding compounds may be used and in place of urea, other ureas such as thiourea may housed-- the criterion being that the initial resinous condensation product shall be water-soluble and shall set or polymerize when applied as a coating to a water-insoluble film which is neutral to cedar oil and aroma and which can be so applied as to be permeable by said aroma.

However prepared, the final resin lacquer ready for application should have a solids content of about 15 to30% and possess the property of setting up or polymerizing, in bulk, to a firm, nontacky condition in about 1 to 4 hours. With a faster setting time, the resin might set up in or on the applicator means or even before use, while a lacquer having a slower setting time tends to result in incomplete polymerization after application. If the solids contentis too low, the resulting coating will be too thin to be really effective, at least in a single-coat application, while a solids content much in excess of.about 30% materials which are not neutral to cedar oil and aroma and which might therefore promote the formation of gummy deposits.

Another coating answering the requirements of the invention is polyvinyl alcohol. There are various types of polyvinyl alcohol, classified according to the degree of polymeriation. The different polymers are differently solublein water.

For the purposes of the present invention a polymer which is soluble in hot water but insoluble in cold water is preferred because the dried coating is not likely to be removed by any accidental application of hot water. This polyvinyl alcohol may be applied .in aqueous solution in the same manner as the urea-aldehyde resin described above, 1. e., it may be colored, applied in various ways, in various concentrations and to sired weight of coating.

I claim:

1. A receptacle having an inner surface made of cedar-oil-bearing wood and coated with a urea-aldehyde condensation product.

2. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 in which the coating is permeable to cedar aroma.

3. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 in which the coating contains from about .01 to about .10 ounce of the urea-aldehyde condensation product per square foot of surface.

4. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 in which the coating is neutral to cedar oil and aroma.

5. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 in which the coating is neutral to cedar oil and aroma and is sufiiciently thick to prevent passage of color from the cedar-oil-bearing wood and sumciently thin and pervious to permit emanation of cedar aroma therethrough.

6. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 in which the coating is firmly adherent to the cedar-01L- bearing wood, non-tacky and insoluble in water.

7. A receptacle having an inner surface of cedar aroma emanating wood coated with an adherent, non-tacky water insoluble film of a ureaaldehyde resin. 8. A receptacle having an inner cedar aroma emanating surface coated with an aroma permeable aroma-emanation controlling film consisting essentially of a urea-aldehyde condensation product, said film being adherent, non-tacky, Water insoluble, 'neutral to cedar -oil and aroma and impermeable to colored matter associated with the cedar aroma emanating surface.

9. A receptacle as defined in claim 8 in which the dethe film contains an added red coloring material.

10. A receptacle as defined in claim 8 in which the film comprises a wetting agent.

11. A receptacle as defined in claim 8 in which the film comprises a polymerization accelerator.

12. A receptacle as defined in claim 8 in which the film comprises a thickening agent.

13. Method of controlling the rate of emanation of cedar aroma from and preventing the formation of gummy deposits upon. the inner 'said aqueous solution contains a polymerization accelerator and a wetting agent andhas a solids 10 content of from about 15% to about 30%.

ERNEST C. CROCKERH 

